Traveller Accommodation Assessment

Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople

The Council is committed to providing appropriate accommodation to meet the needs of the whole community. This includes provision of sufficient suitable sites for Gypsies, Travellers and Travelling Showpeople (hereafter collectively known as `travellers').

Woking currently has one public site at the Hatchingtan, Worplesdon, which has 16 pitches. The site is managed by Surrey County Council. There are also two private sites within the Borough - Five Ares, Brookwood which has 10 pitches, and Ten Acre Farm, Mayford which has three pitches. There are currently no sites for Travelling Showpeople in the Borough.

The 2007 North Surrey Gypsy Traveller Accommodation Assessment (GTAA) identified a need for the provision of an additional 10 pitches in the Borough between 2006 and 2016. Seven of these pitches have already been provided and there is an unimplemented planning permission for a further three pitches, meaning that the Council has met its short-term need.

The Government requires local authorities to demonstrate a rolling five year supply of suitable sites for travellers, which must be based on an up-to-date assessment of accommodation needs.

The Council has prepared a new Travellers Accommodation Assessment (TAA) 2013 which updates the 2007 GTAA. It informs future planning policies and site allocations.